Apologies and Explanations – Back Online Next Week

Dear Readers,

This blog gets a lot of visits, and probably part of the reason is that people have come to expect frequent postings here. That has fallen off over the past couple of weeks.

I wanted to post now to give a partial explanation for the hiatus and give reassurance that this blog will be back to its customary volume next week.

Over the past two weeks, both Diane and I have dealt with previously scheduled events that took us away from online NDY matters. Diane is at the INCIL Retreat today.

In addition, I committed to do a presentation at the Fall Conference of the Nonverbal Learning Disorders Association. I’m leaving tomorrow and won’t be back until Saturday night. Here’s the blurb for my session, taken from the list of presenters on the NLDA site:

STEPHEN DRAKE,
Research Analyst, Policy Analyst and Organizer

Presentation:
“No one told me I shouldn’t be able to do this.”

Stephen Drake is a researcher, policy analyst and organizer. He’ll share his journey of awareness and development of successful strategies — a journey in which his struggles with “deficits” have turned out to be as important in helping him in his work as his strengths.

Stephen made his own self-diagnosis as a grad student in Special Education. Since 1998, he’s worked as a disability activist, engaged in public debate, organizing protests, analyzing public policy and other duties related to his position as a research analyst for a national disability rights group. He’s found that his obvious strengths help him immensely on the job, but so do some areas that started out “deficits” common in folks with NLD.

Stephen will share some of his journey, his own self-evolved coping strategies, and some of his own interpretation of what some of the “core” issues are in terms of NLD in his own life, which are a little different than what is reflected in NLD literature.

I might write more on this later, but I won’t be talking – much – about NDY stuff, except how my neurological issues affect my work – in mostly positive ways.

To my fellow disability activists – I solemnly swear not to get all inspiration and avoid the use of the word “overcoming” at all costs.

In addition to the above, Diane and I were both attending to family issues – one of those inevitable serious health crises. Fortunately, while things were serious, things seem to be going well for the loved one who just had the triple bypass.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, this blog will be back to what passes for normal around here by Monday next week. –Stephen Drake